It is known in the art of manufacturing articles comprising composite materials to first form a mandrel upon which the composite product is preformed. In the prior art, such mandrels are typically manufactured from solid wood, laminated wood, and/or metallic materials.
In the manufacture of a curved composite preform product, the prior art mandrels made of wood often exhibit an instability that results in non-uniformity of the composite product being formed thereon. While metallic mandrels may tend to solve the wooden mandrels' instability, they are nevertheless subject to thermal instability caused by ambient temperature changes.
What is needed is a mandrel that exhibits dimensional and thermal stability in the work environment.